Velocity
by Slyfer911
Summary: When the sun falls and the moon rises, a group of individuals take to the streets... join Ash Ketchum as he is yanked from his corporate lifetstyle and thrust into the world of illegal street racing...
1. Late Night Cruise

Velocity

Chapter 1: Late Night Cruise

The young man sighed as he slowed to the red light. It had been a long day at the office; he had a presentation due, and he barely finished it in time to send it off with the courier. Not only that, but Tracey had just given him a huge pile of work to get started on tomorrow; it seemed that he would never catch a break. He had just left the office and the lights of Pewter City were just beginning to switch on in the night sky. He snapped down the overhead mirror and inspected his tired face.

His short black hair was starting to unravel from the rigorous combing he had to do in the morning and was starting to stick out in every direction. He had particularly handsome face, or so the ladies at the office told him anyway. Everyday he was bombarded by invites to random occasions from the women he worked with; drinks, dinner, movies, things of that nature.

He glanced at his suit, which was now wrinkled and unruly looking; a result of him tearing through the office to catch the courier in time. With a sigh, he closed the mirror and flipped his CD player on. As The Crystal Method's "Born Too Slow" poured from his car speakers, he leaned his head against the steering wheel and glanced up to the light.

_Still red_, he thought to himself. _Geez, it sure is taking this light forever to change... _He smirked and pressed his foot to the accelerator, feeling the power pour out from his brand new yellow 2005 Silph Dodrio. He had bought the sports car on a whim; just a present to himself, and he enjoyed the compliments he received from the people he worked with.

To his surprise, he heard an engine rev up even louder than his, which caused his head to snap up from the steering wheel. He glanced to his left and spotted a man, considerably older than him staring at him with a smirk on his tanned face, even though it looked like he was squinting fiercely to get a good look at him. Apparently, he had pulled up next to the young man when he had revved his engine, and took it as a challenge.

The man's car was considerably flashy, sporting decals of numerous rock and ground pokemon all over. It was a dark brown '98 Shinobu Falcon, sporting an aggressive body kit and a massive spoiler. The rims gleamed in the light of the city, obviously polished with extreme care. Even the paint sparkled in the night sky, a result of the metallic flakes added in the paint.

The car rumbled again as the man revved his engine even louder; issuing his reply to the young man's inadvertent challenge. The young looked puzzled for a moment, unsure of what to do. _I can't race this guy, its illegal! _He looked around for a moment, seeing there were no cars in the vicinity. _Still, I can't just back down...besides, no one's around. Who's gonna know? _

The young man's eyes darted around, trying to make a decision. Slowly, a grin crept to his face as he stepped fiercely on the accelerator, causing his engine to rev with a loud whine. He glanced at his opponent for a moment; the man smiled and turned back to the traffic light, before raising his windows. The young man grinned and did the same, turning up his Crystal Method CD. His eyes were fixed on the traffic light as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and steadied himself.

Red...The engine rumbled again.

Red...He leaned forward and stared at the light, waiting for the moment when it would change.

Green. The car jerked forward as the young man slammed his foot on the accelerator, taking off like a rocket from the line. The roar of the engine filled his ears as he sped through the empty city streets, his opponent right on his heels. Suddenly, the brown car blew past him and swerved to the right onto the next street, leaving a long trail of burnt rubber on the concrete road. The young man followed suit and braked before jerking his steering wheel to the right. He could hear his tires squeal as the vehicle lurched to the right before he slammed his foot back onto the gas.

_Damn, he's got a good head start. _He shook the thought out of his mind, holding the clutch and switching to the second gear. The car jerked forward again with a sudden burst of speed. His heart pounded as the world around him began to blur; details began to disappear, shapes no longer held shape, and colors began to blend into colors that blended into other colors.

The car ahead of him turned again, this time to the left, and the young man followed suit. He popped the clutch and shifted to the third gear; the engine no longer roared but became a constant whine; that coupled with the music blaring from his speaker filled his ears; the outside world was no longer a concern for him. All that mattered now was him, his opponent, and his victory.

The two machines sped through the illuminated streets of Cerulean, each one trying to outrun and outmaneuver the other. Both cars vied for the lead, zooming throughout the metropolis, leaving long trails of smoking rubber in their wake. The young man shifted to the fourth and finally caught up to his opponent, and flashed a lopsided grin.

The other man returned a grin with his own, before swerving to the right. The young man looked ahead and screamed as he jerked the wheel to the left, grazing a car that was sitting at the red light. He slammed on the brakes and veered to the right side of the intersection, just barely missing two other cars before resuming his race through the streets.

He struggled to steady his now pounding heart; after all, he'd just barely avoided two accidents in the span of ten seconds. He looked around for a moment, searching for the man he'd been racing against. _Where the hell did he go? _As if on cue, the brown Shinobu Falcon screamed out in front him; he'd apparently taken an alternate route through the back alleys of the city.

He picked up speed and pulled alongside him again, now neck-and-neck with the older man. The man smirked and pointed to a gas station that was coming up on the road. With expert skill and never slowing down for a second, the Falcon turned into the station and stopped on a dime in a nearby parking spot. The young man pressed down on his brakes and pulled into the station alongside the car before he finally killed the engine.

All the young man could do was stare into space for a moment; trying to register the past few minutes. Finally, he pulled the car door open with shaking hands; a side effect of the adrenaline that was rushing throughout his bloodstream. The music from his stereo rushed out of the car, breaking the silence of the night sky. He turned in time to see his opponent emerge from his vehicle, grinning from ear to ear.

"Wow, you're pretty good! Never seen someone maneuver through a busy intersection and come out in one piece! Who do you race with?" The man proclaimed as he patted the young man on the back. The young man merely shook his head.

"Th...That was my first time..." he said slowly and quietly. The older man raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing him.

"Come on, quit screwing around. Who do you really race with?" The young man turned and shook his head again.

"That was my first time; I'm not a racer, I'm an executive for a law firm." He pointed to his crinkled black suit, driving home his statement. The older man's eyes opened wide with surprise.

"You're kidding! Holy shit, did you even know what kind of moves you just pulled off! You drive like someone who's been racing his whole life; hell, you handle a car like a freaking Formula One driver or something!" the man exclaimed loudly. He smiled widely and patted the younger man on the back.

"How'd you like to race with us tomorrow night?" Suddenly, the young man shook his head fiercely and started to back up.

"No, no, no; I can't do that, its illegal! And I almost got killed tonight racing with you!" he shouted. "You have no idea how close I was to being a smear on the street tonight!"

The older man folded his arms and smirked. "Ok, I'll give you that. But let me ask you this...now that you know what it's like...do you regret doing it? Do you wish hadn't even raced me?"

The younger man fell silent; he did get quite an adrenaline rush out of racing him...in fact it was the first time he had actually felt truly alive in a long time. The older man chuckled and held his hand out to the younger man.

"I'll take that as a no. I'll tell you what...you don't even have to race tomorrow, just come to check us out, ok? I promise it'll be fun," he said. The young man looked at his outstretched hand cautiously for a moment.

"And I don't have to race or any of that stuff?"

The older man shook his head. "Nope, you can just hang out in the sidelines and watch."

The young man sighed for a moment, and took the older man's hand, shaking it gingerly. "What time?"

The older man grinned. "Midnight, at the Cerulean Pier. Don't be late," he said as he turned back to his car. Suddenly, he whirled back around and groaned. "Man, I totally forgot to introduce myself...the name's Brock Slate."

The younger man looked at his car, then back at Brock before letting a small smirk appear on his face.

"I'm Ash... Ash Ketchum."


	2. The Rookie

Velocity

Chapter 2: The Rookie

Ash yawned; exhausted from the night's events as he unlocked the door to his apartment and flicked on the lights. "Pikachu, I'm home!" He could barely keep his eyes open; he needed to get to bed and quick. "Pikachu, you in here!" He scanned the living room and groaned. He did not feel like looking for his rodent friend; he'd had a rough night already.

He walked into the kitchen and turned on the light, only to be met with a huge blast of voltage. "Pikachu, it's me!" he yelled as he hopped to his feet and looked around. Sitting on the table was a small yellow rodent, scratching its ear and staring at him, chattering angrily.

"What are you doing still up? It's 12:45 in the morning." Pikachu narrowed its eyes at him before scampering across the tile floor and pointing its paw at the refrigerator. "Pikachu, I left food out for you on the table." Ash raised his hand towards the dish of pokemon food sitting on the table.

"Pika!" It pointed towards the refrigerator again, intent on obtaining its contents. Ash sighed and opened the refrigerator, tossing Pikachu a bottle of ketchup. He never did understand his small friend; it was quite fond of ketchup ever since he was a small boy, yet he never knew why.

The mouse chirped happily as it flipped open the cap and squeezed the contents of the bottle into its mouth. Ash simply shook his head and walked into his bedroom, pulling off his suit jacket and clicking on his answering machine. Pikachu scampered into the room and found its place on his bed as the machine whirred to life.

"Hi Ash, its Melodi! I was calling to make sure we were still on for Saturday night. Give me a call when you get in, k? Bye!" Ash chuckled and pulled off his tie.

"Pikachu, hit the button." Pikachu nodded and slapped the button with his paw.

"Ash, Tracy. Listen, I'm gonna need you to stay after a little late tomorrow too...sorry, the partners want you to head the Team Rocket case. But I'll be there with you, so we shouldn't have to stay for too long. See ya." He sighed and plopped into the bed.

"Pikachu...turn it off. I'm too tired to hear anymore. Good night...and don't eat all of the ketchup, got it? You're eating normal food tomorrow." He heard Pikachu reply and crawl off of the bed and into its own in the corner. The light clicked off, blanketing the room in darkness as Ash drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Geez Ash, you look like crap. What happened?" The desk was littered with random papers and folders as Ash slowly raised his head from his desk calendar and sighed. 

"I had a really long night, Tracy. I barely heard my alarm go off this morning. Pikachu had to shock me awake." His companion grinned and ran a hand through his black hair. Tracy was quite a tall man, at least a head taller than Ash. They were roommates during law school and quickly became fast friends, helping each other out through the rigorous studying and exams they faced throughout college.

"They kept you at the office that long? I mean, I know this Rocket case is important and all, but still... What time did you leave?" Ash shuffled through the assorted legal papers and shrugged.

"I don't know...around eleven o' clock I think. I didn't get home till later though. There was...a lot of traffic last night." Tracy looked at him puzzled, obviously not believing him.

"Traffic? At eleven o' clock at night? I'd believe that if yesterday was Saturday, Ash; but yesterday was Thursday." Ash glanced up from a file on some guy named Giovanni and nodded.

"Yeah...there was traffic, some kind of accident or something." _Probably would've been me if I hadn't swerved out of the way of that car at the last second..._he thought to himself. "But let's get to work on this case...looks like this guy is gonna take a lot of work."

As he and Tracy worked the case throughout the day, Ash found himself constantly drifting to the events of the previous night; he still hadn't decided whether or not to go to the Piers as he had said.

But now, here it was 10:30, sitting at home eating his dinner, and he still hadn't come to a decision. He turned to his yellow friend and scratched behind his ears. "Well buddy...think I should go?" There was no response; the mouse had fallen asleep while it was watching television. Ash chuckled and placed Pikachu in its bed and headed off to the kitchen to clean his dishes.

"Ring, ring, ring! Phone call, phone call!" He dropped his dishes into the sink and headed to the phone, picking up the receiver. The words "Video Mode" flashed onto the screen briefly before it was replaced by an older woman with brownish-red hair.

"Hi, honey! How are you doing?" Her voice was cheerful as she waved at the screen and blew him a kiss. Ash smiled and laughed...he always thought his mother was a little weird.

"I'm fine, Mom. How are Sam and Tyler?"

"They're fine. Tyler's at his friend's house right now, but Sam is right here. Do you want to speak to him?" Ash smiled and nodded as his mother shifted over and an older man with graying temples appeared on the screen.

"How you doing, Ash? Think you're too cool to call your family now?" The man's face wrinkled a bit as a smile spread over his face. His mother had married Professor Samuel Oak, the famed Pokemon professor, not too soon after he had tried to start on his own pokemon journey.

Ash's mother had gotten pregnant at a young age, and his father ran off, leaving her alone in Pallet Town. She never really liked to talk about it, and quickly changed the subject if it happened to come up.

"Sorry Sam, but I've been really busy at the office and I've had no time to myself lately."

"I can tell, Ash. You look like I used to when I spent all of my time working at the lab. You need to learn to relax some before you burn out completely. Then what are you going to do?"

"Yeah, I have been working on this case for the past few weeks..."

"See, I told you. So, promise us you'll loosen up. We don't want to have to come down and take you out of the hospital because you fell asleep at the wheel." Ash nodded and glanced at the clock in the bottom corner of the screen. 10:45.

"Ok, I promise. But listen, I need to get some sleep for tomorrow. Tell Tyler I said hi, ok?" Sam and his mother nodded.

"You be careful now, ok sweetie? Take care," his mother added as Ash reached to hang up the phone. Ash nodded and waved before hanging up the receiver. He sighed and walked to the window, observing the illuminated metropolis below him. The lights cast an almost dreamlike glow on the city streets below; he could hear the cold concrete begging for him to just let go and be free on their stony skin.

He glanced up and stared at the sliver moon as a Pidgeot zoomed past; if he didn't know any better it was as if the universe was trying to force him out into the night. He glanced at the clock again, letting a sly smirk creep across his face.

It was time to cut loose.

* * *

The Cerulean Pier was famous not only throughout Kanto, but all three regions as the premiere spot to find the best seafood. During the day, it was a bustling, noisy area, filled with the yells of random fisherman as they tried to sell their wares to the various restaurant owners, cooks, and housewives; comparable to the massive Celadon Mall. It was a huge site located just on the edge of the coast, filled with scores of back alleys and hidden roads. The main roads were almost always used exclusively by the huge cranes and various equipment used in the fishing trade. Then as the business day ended, the numerous workers and buyers filed out, leaving the area barren and lifeless. 

However, as the sun fell, and the night sky began to be pierced by the random streetlights, like a phoenix, it began to reawaken to become the raucous giant it had been during the day. The cranes and bulldozers were replaced by Silph Dodrios and Tauroses; the noise not being created by various machinery, but by the sound systems of the assorted vehicles as they spewed out the pulse pounding beats of techno, rock, and rap.

The chatter filled the air as eager drivers came out to show off their rides and try to prove themselves as the cream of the crop of the racing community. Amongst the flashy spoilers, paint jobs, and roaring mufflers; trapped between the ear-shattering speakers and amps was a lone yellow car, sticking out like a sore thumb due to its run-of-the-mill body work and plain-looking paint.

Ash looked around the industrial area, amazed by how many racers actually came out as he rolled through the plethora of sports cars. He was expecting maybe eight or nine cars, but what he saw suggested that there was least a count of forty or more vehicles. He tried to ignore the strange stares he got from some of the people around him; trying to find the man who had suggested he come here in the first place.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spotted him and his brown Falcon, standing on the side of the road, tucked away near a large warehouse, talking with a few people. Ash pulled up to the side of the brown sports car and hopped out, killing the engine.

Brock turned as Ash was climbing out of the car, and started grinning from ear to ear. "You made it! I was starting to think you weren't gonna show up!" He slapped Ash hard on the back and yanked him towards the people he was chatting to. "Yo guys, this is the new guy I was telling you about. He's got some real skill, so I invited him to tag along. Say hi, Ash. This is Venom and Haze."

Ash stared, puzzled by their odd names while trying to ignore the stinging in his back. One was a very attractive redhead, wearing a pair of curve hugging jeans and t-shirt. Her companion was a young man with blue hair and green eyes, clad in a purple Adidas training outfit. Ash laughed nervously as he held out his hand. "Those are uh...very interesting names. I'm Ash."

Both of them stared at him for a moment, as if sizing him up. The redhead scoffed and raised an eyebrow at Brock. "Landslide, are you sure this kid has skills? I mean, look at him...he's a twerp." Her partner laughed aloud, pointing at Ash's car.

"And he came in a stock car! How the hell is he supposed to win with that piece of crap?" Ash growled and glanced at Brock, who was smiling nervously.

"Come on guys, I have faith in the little guy. I know he doesn't look like much, be he's got some talent. Ease up on him, will ya? Especially you, Venom." The redhead rolled her eyes and slapped her companion in the chest.

"Come on, Haze. We'll see what the kid can do. Later," She yelled over her shoulder as they walked off into the crowd of people. Ash turned to Brock and glared at him.

"What the hell was that all about? And what was up with their names? I mean, Haze; Venom? And who the hell is Landslide? This is crazy. I'm outta here," he said, turning on his heel to go back to his car. Brock rushed in front of him, blocking his way into the car.

"Look, don't pay them much attention...they're always like that. And as for the names, I can explain that. Just me hear me out, ok?" Ash crossed his arms and looked at him for a moment before nodding his head. "Ok, the highest ranked racers out here are given nicknames. When we're out here racing, we don't call each other by our real names, we use our nicknames."

"You're kidding, right?" Ash scoffed. "Nicknames? Are you guys eight years old or something? Wait, I need a decoder ring to get in, don't I? That's why they were pissed off," he laughed.

"Fine, go ahead, laugh. But remember this, without a nickname, you aren't shit out here." Ash rolled his eyes and snickered again.

"Ok, ok, fine. I'll stop making fun of the nicknames." He looked around the area, scanning the different faces in the crowd. "So who's the top guy out here? You know; the best racer?"

Brock put an arm over Ash's shoulder and led him to the head of the crowd. "That would be Slipstream. He's one of the top ranked racers in all three of the regions. That's him over there." He pointed towards a young man who had his back turned, wearing a racing jacket and a pair of baggy jeans. His brown spiky hair stuck out from the sides of his head, causing Ash to snigger again. _God, this guy has hair like Gary did when we were little. Ugh,_ he mentally laughed.

Ash took a look at the car he was driving however, and all of his jokes disappeared. Sitting in the middle of a crowd of people was a sleek, jet black Silph Rapidash, the fastest and most powerful model the Silph Motor Company had to offer. A huge spoiler hung up from his trunk, which seemed to mold into his almost violent looking body kit. The muffler was huge, almost big enough for Ash to fit his fist inside.

The wheels were black also, glistening in the light of the nearby lamp post. The only hint of color besides black on the entire car was the red neon glow emanating from the bottom of the vehicle.

_Whoa, this guy must be good. I've only seen a car like that in a magazine or at an auto show. _Brock noticed Ash's shocked face and chuckled. "Like I said, Slipstream's one of the best." The young man waved off the people he was talking to and turned, noticing Brock.

"Well, well; if it isn't Landslide. How's the clutch on your Falcon doing?" Ash scanned the young man's face: the green eyes, the nasally voice, the condescending smirk. The realization crashed into Ash like a brick wall.

"Gary! Is that you!" The young man snapped around and glowered at him.

"Who the hell are you? Why are you over here with the ranked racers? Get your ass over with the rookies!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger in the direction that Ash had just come from.

"It's ok, Slipstream. He's with me. His name's Ash Ketchum; he's a newcomer." The spark of realization from hearing Ash's name flickered in the brown-haired man's eyes.

"Ketchum! Ash Ketchum!" Gary grabbed his stomach and guffawed loudly. "You brought Ash Ketchum out here to race with us! Oh my god, this is too much!" he laughed even louder, taking in huge breaths between fits of laughter.

Brock looked at Gary, then Ash, then back at Gary. "You guys know each other?" Ash nodded and folded his arms.

"We used to be neighbors when we were little. He lived across the street from me in Pallet Town. We used to be friends, but after he became a pokemon trainer, he turned into a jerk."

Gary finally calmed himself down and smirked at Ash. "Please, at least I was a trainer for more than a few months. I traveled around till I was sixteen." He pointed at Ash and chortled again. "He quit four months in. The first pokemon he got didn't even respect him enough to obey him. And now, you're bringing him here to race with us? He's not gonna come back after tonight, mark my words."

Ash growled and shoved himself into Gary's face. "No way in hell I'm backing out, Oak. You better get ready, cause I am going to beat your ass when we race." Gary chuckled and stared into his eyes.

"Please, Ketchum. You have to be ranked in at least the top five in Kanto to even have a chance at me. And let's face it; you'll never be as good as me." He opened his mouth to say more, but the beeping of his watch cut him off. "Well, looks like its showtime." He smirked again before strolling over to his car and leaning against it. "It's time to start, everybody!" Almost all of the crowd stopped their chatter and crowded over to Gary's Rapidash. Ash hated to admit it, but Gary held quite a commanding role here.

"I took a stroll around tonight and I spotted a lot of new faces around here!" he shouted so the crowd could hear. "Since you're new, I'll give you the rundown. I'm Slipstream, the temporary leader of the Cerulean Underground. Unfortunately, Whirlpool is not here right now, so I was put in charge since I was in town." The crowd chattered at the information before Gary raised his hand, silencing them.

"Rule number one of the Underground: If you're new, you have to race. Rule number two: If you make a bet, you must hold up your end of the bargain. And the third and final rule is that under any circumstances, you will not cheat. If you cheat, and we catch you...your ass is ours, understand!" The new racers in the crowd nodded, understanding the rules thoroughly.

"Good. Now then...let's get started. Since we have so many rookies here, we'll start with them." He raised his hand and started pointing at faces in the crowd. "You, you, you, and..." he glanced at Ash and smirked again before pointing at him. "You. All of you, hop in your car and bring it over here."

Ash looked around for a moment, bewildered at what Gary had just said. "I thought you said I didn't have to race!" he hissed at Brock. Brock shook his head and shrugged.

"Well, those are the rules; I just didn't think Slipstream would call you out to race. I mean, you did come ina stock car...but don't worry." He grinned. "You're gonna rip these guys a new one."

Brock grabbed Ash and hopped in the passenger side of the car as Ash climbed in the driver's seat. "Look, Brock; I don't think I'm ready for this kind of thing yet." Brock shook his head and pointed towards the ignition.

"I'm telling you, you're gonna kill 'em." Ash glanced at him as he stuck the key in the ignition and brought the engine roaring to life. Slowly, they pulled up to the starting line as a young woman with black hair walked up and held her hand out.

"So, this is just a practice run, right? Nothing big about it?" The young woman laughed out loud.

"Practice run? Please, your race is gonna take an entry fee of three grand." Ash's eyes grew wide as he heard the figure.

"**THREE GRAND! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!**" he yelled at the young woman. "I don't have that kind of money...I only have like fifty bucks!" He was about to yell at the young woman again before Brock passed a wad of bills to the young woman, silencing him promptly.

"That should cover it, right Casey?" The young woman unfolded the bills and counted them all, smiling.

"Yup, that's enough, Landslide. You must really think this kid has something..." she said as she walked off to collect the fees from the other drivers. Ash looked at him, disbelief in his eyes.

"Brock, why are you doing all this? I mean, I could lose you your money, and I don't want to do that." Brock grinned and opened the car door.

"You won't lose it. Like I said last night Ash, I've never seen someone drive like you before. You're gonna run rings around these guys." He turned to leave before whirling around again. "Oh, and Ash, one more thing; don't try to think about your driving. Just let your instinct take over...got it?"

Ash nodded, and Brock walked away from the starting line into the crowd of people that lined both side of the now emptied street of the industrial area. Ash gripped the steering wheel, his heart pounding as Gary strolled into the middle of the street between the cars.

"Alright, guys, here are the rules. You see the crane over there?" Ash squinted, but was able to make out the outline of the large piece of machinery. "First to get there and back wins. Take any route you want. Got it?" The three car engines whined in agreement. Ash stepped his foot on the accelerator late...so his enginerevved after Gary started walking off the street.

He could hear the laughter of the crowd, but he tried to shut it out and focus on his goal. _Ok, to the crane and back. That seems simple enough._ He rolled his windows up, and flicked in another CD; the sounds of Astral Projection's "Aurora Borealis" flooded the inside of the car.

He revved his engine, hearing the others rev back in response. Casey, the same girl who collected the money, walked into the middle of the cars and raised her hands in the air. "Ready!" The engines roared again in agreement.

Ash hunched over the steering wheel, watching her arms for the moment they would drop.

"Go!" She dropped her arms and the cars zoomed from the line, almost knocking her back from the force of air that the vehicles had created. Ash slammed on the accelerator and took off, closely behind the other three cars.

The cars careened down the long straightaway, neck and neck as the drivers viedfor an early lead. Popping the clutch, he shifted to the second gear. The car jerked and began to pick up speed as he began to roar ahead of the pack. He laughed and turned his music up even louder, enjoying his early lead.

The road continued to stretch on, like a never-ending drag strip as Ash began to take an even larger lead. He glanced to his rearview mirror and chuckled before returning his vision to the road. He squinted, and saw that a brick wall was rapidly approaching.

He yelled, and searched for an alternate route. He spotted a small alleyto the right and braked, swerving his car into the narrow alley. The other cars scattered like cockroaches, searching for their own route. Ash struggled to keep the car in the middle of the narrow alley, being careful not to scrape up against the concrete walls.

He glanced up at the large piece of machinery; he was still quite a long way away. He pressed on the gas even harder, shifting to the third gear and increasing his speed. The speedometer rapidly climbed: 50, 60, 70 miles an hour.

The alley suddenly branched out into a large open area, populated with dozens of steel storage containers. Ash sped through them, leaving a large dust trail in his wake as he zipped to the crane. Suddenly, a car zipped past Ash as he crossed another row of containers, barely missing him.

He swerved to avoid him, and turned to the left, tires squealing and slammed on the gas again. He could hear wind rushing past his window as his car gained speed on the large machine. He grinned and whirled around it, leaving a trail of smoldering rubber on the asphalt behind him as another car came from the opposite side. Both vehicles rocketed past each other as they began their return trip to the finish line. Ash shifted again, the engine whining as he roared through the containers, the other car keeping pace with him.

He growled and veered to the left, rushing through a row of containers before turning sharply to the right and accelerating, pulling up alongside his opponent. The young man inside the car stared at Ash with an astonished look on his face before shifting gears in his own vehicle.

Both cars kept a steady battle for the lead, as the containers seemed to blend intoeach other at such high speeds. Each racer kept mimicking the other's moves, resulting in a stalemate as they came up on the dead end. Finally, both cars separated, going in opposite directions.

Ash smiled and shifted to the final gear as he zoomed through an empty warehouse, the speedometer maxing out at 120 miles per hour. _Can't be too far from the finish line now, _he thought as he zoomed out from the abandoned building, heading for the final straightaway.

He turned left; and cursed loudly. He had taken a wrong turn and was now staring at a large cement wall which was quickly approaching. He scanned the area for any alternate route and swore again. There was only a large eighteen-wheeler, built to carry numerous cars from the port to their respective dealerships.

Suddenly, an idea hit Ash like a bolt of lightning. _God, I hope this works,_ he prayed to himself as he aligned himself with the truck. He slammed his whole body onto the gas, desperately trying to squeeze out every ounce of horsepower his engine could scrounge up.

The world again began to blur as he struggled to keep his car aligned with the truck. He said a quick prayer to himself and gripped the steering wheel tightly. The car hopped onto the large trailer and rushed up the large makeshift ramp and sailed into the air.

Ash screamed loudly as the vehicle barely cleared the building and slammed onto the roof. The car began to lurch wildly all over the top of the building as he desperately tried to regain control of his car and keep it from flipping. His heart pounded even harder as he rocketed across the roof and glanced over to his right.

There was the straightaway, and his opponent was zooming down the street, not even noticing him on the roof. The finish line was right in front of him, and Ash gripped the steering wheel even harder as he began his final attempt to win the race. Both cars unknowingly battled each other for the top spot, only gaining a lead on the other by a few inches before the other would catch up again.

_This is it! _He yelled again and swerved to his left. The vehicle dropped off of the building and slammed into the concrete below. The car lurched to the side, causing Ash to yank the steering wheel in the opposite direction. His eyes opened wide as the car began to spin out; he couldn't control it anymore.

He screamed loudly as the car spun around, the world no longer taking any type of form at all; he couldn't tell up from down, orleft from right as he whirled around on the asphalt. The tires screeched on the street and in a last ditch effort, he slammed his foot on the brakes.

The car suddenly jerked to a halt and Ash opened his eyes, taking into account his situation. The crowd stared back at him; mouths wide open at what he had just done. Even his opponent was looking at him, unable to believe what he did. Ash pulled down the window and looked down at the ground as the music poured from his speakers.

His car had passed the line. He chuckled lightly, and stepped out from the car. He had won the race. The crowd was silent for a moment; then suddenly erupted into a maelstrom of noise. Brock rushed through the crowd to Ash and picked up his shocked friend.

"That was freaking amazing, Ash! I've never seen anyone race like that in my entire life!" he exclaimed loudly as he set him down on the ground. "You're gonna be a ranked racer in no time!" Ash chuckled loudly again and scratched the back of his head.

"You think?" Brock laughed loudly and slapped him on the back as Gary walked up to them. Ash glanced at Gary and smirked. "What was that about me never being as good as you?"

Gary snorted. "I have to admit, you did surprise me, Ash. But you still can't beat me. But since you did win, I'll cut you some slack. Come back tomorrow, and you can have your chance to go against some ranked racers. See ya round, Ketchum," he said as he walked back into the crowd.

"Well Ash, looks like you're gonna rise through the ranks pretty damn fast," Brock commented. Ash sighed and leaned up against his car before looking at him with a smirk.

"You were right, Brock. That was easy."

* * *

Racing Encyclopedia: 

Stock: A car that has not been upgraded or tuned in any way; a car that has comestraight from the factory.

(A/N: I had always wanted to do something different with the Pokemon chracters, and I've only seen one other story with this kind of concept before, so I decided to try my hand at it. It seems like Pokemon fanfics are always either AAMRN's or those Pokemon epics, so I wanted to add a little diversity. If you like it, drop me line and tell me. And if you don't; review it anyway and tell what I can do to make it better. See ya round!)


	3. A Woman's Touch

Velocity

Chapter 3: A Woman's Touch

Ash whistled as he flipped through the huge wad of hundred dollar bills. He had never seen this much money in his life ever before. His companion chuckled and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"I told you that you were gonna kill 'em. But hopping off of the roof of a building and spinning out into the finish line? Hell, I'm surprised you didn't crash and burn right there, much less win the race." He chuckled again, the loud click of a lighter interrupting the silence of the night sky. Brock pointed the pack in Ash's direction. "You smoke?"

Ash shook his head and shoved the money into his pocket. All of the other racers had left, leaving only Ash and Brock in the quiet Cerulean Pier. "So Brock, who's Whirlpool?" Brock placed the pack back into his pocket and leaned against the car.

"Whirlpool's the leader of the racing scene here in Cerulean. One of the top five racers in all of Kanto," he explained as took a long puff from his cigarette. "Only been beaten once, and that was by Slipstream; and he barely won. Whirlpool is not someone to be taken lightly."

"Who are the other four?"

"Well, the list goes like this...Slipstream is at the top, then there's Whirlpool. I'm number three, and then Venom is behind me. The last one is Haze. Together, we're the top racers in all of Kanto."

Brock turned to Ash and tossed his cigarette away. "Well, I could spend all night yapping about rankings and crap, but you need to rest up. After all, you got your first ranked race tomorrow night." He glanced at his watch. "Whoops, make that tonight."

Brock hopped into his Falcon and turned the ignition, the engine awakening with a loud roar. "See ya, man." He waved and took off into the city, tires squealing on the asphalt. Ash waved back at the speeding vehicle and climbed into his own.

He turned the key and sped off towards home, glancing at the rising sun with a grin.

* * *

"Tyler, get down here now!" The woman brushed a stray brownish-red hair from her face and sighed. _That boy never does what I tell him to do._ She laughed to herself though; he really did act a lot like Ash when was his age. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway.

"Tyler, stop running down those stairs before you—"she yelled before a loud thump interrupted her. She sighed and dropped the towel into the sink and strolled into the living room, laughing at the young teenager on the floor. "Before you fall down." She shook her head and stuck her hand out for the young man to grab.

He groaned and grabbed her hand, pulling himself up to his feet. Delia chuckled and dusted him off before heading back to the kitchen. "You'd better get ready, Tyler. Ash should be here soon."

Tyler's green eyes lit up at the mention of his older brother. "Ash is coming over?" Delia nodded and cleaned the rest of the breakfast dishes. "Great, then I can show him the techniques Slicer and I have been trying out! When is he gonna get here?"

His mother put the dishes away and glanced at the clock. "Well, he called while your lazy butt was still asleep this morning. He said he'd try to be here around four or five. It's about three thirty now." Tyler grinned and turned for the stairs.

"Cool, I'll go wake up Slicer," he yelled behind him as he bounded up the stairs.

"Tyler, don't run up those stairs!" Tyler yelled in reply and she heard his door slam shut. _That boy will never learn,_ she thought to herself. She had given birth to him not too long after she had married Sam, when Ash was only ten years old.

It was good that both Tyler and Ash had a father figure in their lives, seeing as Ash's father had taken off without so much as a goodbye. Sam was a good man, and cared for Ash as if he were his own son. She glanced at the clock again; and straightened up the living room. _Ash should be here any minute..._

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, echoing throughout the house. Delia sighed and pulled open the door, revealing her oldest son and a small Pikachu. "Ash, look at you! You look great!" she exclaimed as he wrapped him in a hug and showered him with kisses.

Ash writhed about in his mother's smothering grip. "Geez, mom, you act like I've just come back from war or something!" Finally, he freed himself from his mother's clutches and closed the door behind him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran a hand through his hair.

"Where's everyone else? It's kinda quiet in here," he asked as Pikachu scampered over to Delia and cooed. She chuckled and scratched the top of his head, picking the up small rodent in her arms.

"Sam should be home any minute from the lab, and Tyler's upstairs waking Slicer." She giggled and scratched under Pikachu's chin. "And how are you doing, Pikachu? Ash isn't treating you bad, I hope."

"Pika!" The mouse shook its head and dropped from her arms, scrambling into the kitchen. Ash groaned and rolled his eyes.

"He's hungry again? I just fed him before we left." He shook his head and plopped onto the nearby couch as the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the house. Delia rolled her eyes again.

"This boy never listens." She turned her head to a figure dusting the pictures in a nearby corner of the living room. "Mimey, use Invisible Wall on the entrance to the stairs, please." The figure whirled around and dropped the feather duster onto the floor.

Its face resembled a clown's, with bright red spots on its cheeks and huge white gloves adorning its hands. "Mime!" The pokemon rushed over to the other side of the room and waved its hands rapidly, chanting its name loudly. Suddenly, it stopped and strolled back over to the dropped feather duster and resumed its chores, humming to itself quietly.

As Tyler came bounding down the stairs, a loud smack filled the room as he collided with now shining wall that covered the entrance to the stairs. Delia grinned and gestured towards Mimey with her hand. "Thanks Mimey, you can take down the wall now." The pokemon replied and waved its hand behind him, causing the obstruction to dissipate into thin air.

Tyler grabbed his forehead and groaned. "What was that for, Mimey?" Delia cleared her throat, interrupting him.

"I told him to do it, Tyler. Now maybe you'll learn to stop running down the stairs, hmm?" Tyler rubbed his forehead and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Yo Ash, what's going on?" he said as he walked over to his older brother. They exchanged a handshake and Ash grabbed him, rustling his younger brother's light brown hair.

"You know you should listen to Mom, right kiddo? Just be glad Mimey doesn't have his vacuum cleaner." Tyler struggled in his brother's stronger grip. At only the age of thirteen, Tyler was already near Ash's height.

"Ok, ok. I'll stop running down the stupid stairs." Ash chuckled and released him, leaving Tyler to try and repair the damage done to his hairstyle. "Where's Pikachu?" Ash shrugged and pointed towards the kitchen.

"As soon as he got here, he took off into the kitchen. Probably trying to find a way into Mom's ketchup stash. Where's Slicer?" Tyler grinned and started to push Ash out of the door.

"He's outside in the backyard. We're gonna show you some of the new techniques we made. We'll be back in a little while, Mom!" he hollered behind his back as he shoved Ash out the back door and slammed it behind them.

Delia chuckled to herself again and sat on the couch, flipping on the television. "It's always pokemon with that boy."

* * *

"Ok, Ash you watching?" Tyler yelled across the grassy plain. Ash nodded and sat on the soft grass, enjoying the light breeze that blew through and observed his younger brother.

"All right! Ok Slicer, Mirage Slash!" The small green pokemon growled as it folded its bladed arms across its chest and crouched. Suddenly, the creature split into five other identical copies, and they all leapt into the air, the setting sun giving the Scythers a majestic glow in the dimming sky. "Attack!"

Instantly, they all rushed towards the ground and sped towards a tree that sat in the middle of the large plain. All of the copies blurred as they sped past the tree, swinging their bladed arms each time they made another pass. After almost two minutes, the creatures leapt back and merged into one pokemon again.

Ash laughed to himself and called out to Tyler. "Uh, Tyler...that was really cool looking and all, but maybe you should get him to work on his aim. It looks like he missed every attack!" His younger brother simply folded his arms and blew a stray hair out of his eye with an upturned lip.

"Sure about that?" Ash stared, puzzled by his brother's confidence. He turned back to the tree and nearly fell over. The large plant was cleaved in almost eight different places. What remained of the tree was lying in a large pile of wood in the middle of the plain. Ash whistled and glanced back over at his smiling brother.

"Wow...how'd you do that?" he inquired as he strolled over to him.

"Well, what we did was combine two of Slicer's most effective attacks, Double Team and Slash. We use the copies to run past the target and fake like they're slashing. All the while the enemy's confused, Slicer just attacks, bounces back just like the other copies and attacks again. He can get up to nine slashes before he gets too tired out, but we're training to extend it to at least twelve."

Ash was surprised. He had heard that Tyler was a skilled pokemon trainer, but this just blew past all of his expectations. "Kid, I wish I had that kind of talent when I tried to go on a pokemon journey."

Tyler scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Yeah, I heard it took two months for Pikachu to just stop electrocuting you, much less like you." Ash laughed and glanced at his small partner and patted his head.

"Yeah, it did take a while for him to come around, but he finally did, huh buddy?" Pikachu nodded and sent a wave of electricity surging through his body, leaving a slightly smoking Ash. "Hilarious, Pikachu," he growled as Tyler and Slicer collapsed to the ground, laughing.

* * *

"So Ash; how's the case going?"

The family had settled into the dining room, eagerly feasting on a dinner cooked by Sam. Ash nodded as he handed Pikachu a bowl of pokemon food and settled into his own seat.

"Well, we're nearly at the point of prosecuting this guy. Apparently he was the leader of some crime syndicate called Team Rocket. It wasn't too hard to find incriminating evidence on him. He'll be getting his sentence sometime next week."

Delia's eyes lit up as she forked another piece of steak into her mouth. "Well that's good. It's good to know you're doing something to make the world a better place, honey." She nudged Tyler, and grinned. "You could learn quite a bit from your brother, Tyler."

Tyler rolled his eyes and placed another morsel of food into his mouth. "Sorry Mom, but I'm gonna be a trainer as soon as I get outta here. Just a few more months and I can get my trainer's license. Then me and Slicer are gonna be Pokemon Masters, right Slicer?" The Scyther that was sitting in the corner with Pikachu raised its bladed arm in agreement.

Tyler grinned and took a bite from his meal. "You sound like I did when I was your age, kiddo." Ash glanced at his watch and snapped his fingers at Pikachu. "Well, it's getting late. Thanks for the delicious dinner, Sam." Sam nodded and took a sip of soda.

"Anytime, Ash. Glad to have you over." Delia hugged her older son and walked him to the door.

"You be careful, ok honey? There are lots of lunatics out on the road this late at night." Ash chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head as he opened the door.

"Yeah, sure Mom. I'll talk to you guys later. See ya," he said behind his back. As he and Pikachu climbed into his car and he turned the ignition, Ash turned to his small rodent friend and smirked. "Well, Pikachu, I won't be able to take you home and make to the piers in time, so it looks like I'll take you with me. "

"Pikachu!" The pokemon chirped happily as Ash pulled out from the drive of his mother's home and sped off towards Cerulean City.

* * *

"Come on now, Venom. A bet's a bet. You gotta pay up," Brock taunted as he held his hand out in front of a scowling Venom. "Do I have to call you by your real name, Jessie?" Venom's scowl darkened even more, almost scaring the large bronze racer from her expression.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she reached into her back pocket and viciously slapped a wad of bills into Brock's palm. "It was just dumb luck that the rookie won. Who the hell drives on rooftops and survives?" Brock smirked and flipped through the wad of money.

"Obviously, the rookie does. Don't worry, Venom. Maybe Haze'll win you your money back when he races Whirlpool tonight." Venom rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

"Oh, he'll beat Whirlpool, and then he'll be ranked ahead of your sorry ass, Landslide. See ya round." She began to walk off before being cut off by a large yellow car that came screaming into the pier.

A Pikachu chattered angrily and pointed its little paw at the driver, who yelled right back at. A long red line was visible over its forehead as small charges of electricity surged from the splotches on its cheeks. "Maybe if you didn't squirt ketchup over the freaking dashboard, the CD player wouldn't have malfunctioned and the disc wouldn't have ejected into your face!"

"Chu, Pikachu, Pika, ka chu!" The mouse retorted as the driver turned the ignition off and began to climb out of the car.

"It's not my fault the pothole caused you to squeeze your bottle too hard! It was like, three feet wide, and I've told you a thousand times not to eat in the car! You stay in here and be quiet. I'll be right back." The Pikachu huffed and turned towards the window, scowling.

Ash climbed out of the car and nearly slammed into Venom before apologizing. "Oh sorry, uh...Poison was it?" Venom rolled her eyes and shoved her shoulder into him before walking off.

"Outta my way, twerp." Ash stared for a moment before receiving a hearty slap on the back by Brock. He coughed for a moment, taken by complete surprise by the rough greeting from his large friend.

"What's her problem?" he choked out as he took a deep breath.

"She's just a little upset over a bet she made, that's all. She's famous for her ridiculously short temper. How do you think she got the name Venom?" Ash shrugged.

"Well, when does my race start? I hurried over here as soon I could."

"Nah, Haze is challenging Whirlpool, so you're gonna have to wait until they race first. Then it's probably gonna be your turn." Ash looked disappointed as he headed to the car and sat back in the seat.

"Damn it. I rushed all the way over here from Pallet and I didn't even have to? Just my luck. Where's Gary?" Brock shrugged and strolled over to the other side of the car.

"I think he's headed over to Hoenn for a little while...checking out the competition over there." He stopped and opened the passenger door, only to stare at the small scowling Pikachu that sat in the seat.

Ash's eyes opened wide. "Brock, move out of the way before-" he was too late as Brock reached over to grab the rodent out of the seat. Ash turned and covered his eyes, awaiting the huge blast of electricity that was sure to come. Moments passed, and slowly, Ash turned his head and nearly fell out of the car.

Pikachu was sitting in Brock's lap, playing with him; much to Ash's surprise. "How in the-? Why is he not shocking you? He doesn't like anyone at first; hell, it took him four months to like me!"

Brock smiled as he scratched Pikachu's head. "Well, I've always had a special connection with pokemon. I haven't met one that hasn't liked me yet. This one's kinda cool. He's got a little attitude, like he's a human or something." Brock opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by a loud whine in the distance.

"What is that?" Brock turned to Ash and handed Pikachu to him.

"Come on, and I'll show you," he replied as he gestured for him to follow. Ash glanced at Pikachu, and allowed him to scamper onto his shoulder.

"Well Pikachu, let's go see what the fuss is all about." Pikachu chirped in agreement as they followed Brock through the gathering crowd in the pier. Brock grabbed Ash's arm and yanked him through the crowd and pointed.

"Allow me introduce you to Whirlpool," he said with a grin.

Ash glanced over at the purple haired racer who was standing by his car, who was obviously Haze. But it was his opponent who completely surprised him. A figure clad in a bright blue one-piece racing outfit was attaching his gloves, and stepping over to his vehicle. Ash had never seen anything like it; Whirlpool raced with a motorcycle. But not just any motorcycle; it was a Suzuka Shuriken, a motorcycle that rivaled the Rapidash in terms of pure power and speed.

The vehicle was a glimmering ocean blue, with large chrome wheels that blinded the crowd around it. The engine whined loudly, almost drowning out the excited chatter of the racers that surrounded the two competitors.

The racer's head was covered by a large helmet, obscuring his facial features from the crowd around him. Whirlpool pointed at Haze; then down the long straightaway that Ash had sped down the previous night. Haze nodded and climbed into his own car and brought the motor to life, and sped off down the strip, Whirlpool following close behind.

"They're racing already?" Brock shook his head.

"Nah, they're gonna drag down to the finish line. The starting point's gonna be at the beginning of that alley. It's probably about half, maybe three-quarters of a mile." He sighed and chuckled to himself. "Poor Haze, he's got no idea what he's getting into. Whirlpool's gonna smoke him."

The crowd began to disperse and separate onto opposite sides of the empty street as Brock explained.

"But he's in a motorcycle. That's not exactly safe. Why doesn't he use a car?" Brock shrugged.

"Got a car, but hardly ever uses it. Prefers the bike more. Keeps insisting about how a bike's got more style. Now watch. The race is about to start." Ash nodded and cast his gaze down the long drag strip and kept his eyes locked on the racer clad in blue.

Suddenly, in a squeal of tires, both vehicles shot from the line, and sped towards the finish line. Haze's car steadily began to pull away from the bike, creating more distance between the two machines as they sprinted towards the finish line.

"It looks like Haze is gonna win." Brock shook his head and smirked.

"Please. I can tell from the sound of Haze's engine that he's about to redline. Whirlpool's not even on the fourth gear yet." Almost as soon as he said that, the bike's engine suddenly roared to life and blasted past Haze's car and blew across the finish line.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the bike slowed down and Whirlpool hopped off. Ash could see Haze slamming his fist into the steering wheel in anger as his own car crossed the line and pulled next to a large purple vehicle.

"What'd I tell you?" Brock said as he led Ash and Pikachu towards the victor as Haze climbed out of his car and reached into his back pocket. Whirlpool simply raised his hand and gestured for Haze to fork over his winnings.

The young man grumbled as he flipped through his money and handed Whirlpool a large was of dollar bills. "There. Twenty grand. I swear, Whirlpool, I'll beat you one of these days."

Ash could hear a soft chuckle from inside the large blue helmet. "Maybe next time you'll think before challenging me, Haze. Have a nice day." Haze growled and turned to leave, jumping into his car and speeding off into the night.

Brock laughed and walked up to him ash the racer shoved the money in his pocket. "You didn't have to do him that badly, Whirlpool. He thought he had won for a second. Show some compassion," he mocked as they shook hands.

"Compassion is for losers, Landslide. Hang on; I gotta take this helmet off. I'm sweating like a dog in this outfit." Whirlpool grabbed the large helmet and slid it off slowly, and what Ash saw almost made him collapse for the second time that night.

Long blazing red hair swirled from the inside of the helmet, whipping across a beautiful face adorned with turquoise eyes. Ash examined her body, a drop dead physique that most supermodels would envy. Ash's jaw dropped.

"Whirlpool's a GIRL?" he exclaimed loudly. "I thought you said Whirlpool was a guy, Brock!" Brock chuckled.

"I never said Whirlpool was a guy, you just assumed that she was. Obviously, you thought wrong," he answered. Ash nearly collapsed from the bombshell that just dropped on him. He didn't know what surprised him more, the fact that Whirlpool was a woman; or the fact that she was a very good looking woman.

Her eyes narrowed as she pointed at Ash. "Who's this guy?" Brock slapped his forehead and shoved Ash closer to her.

"This is Ash, Whirlpool. I found him two days ago; the kid's got some real skills. He's a little rough around the edges, but with a little practice he'll be dominating in no time." Whirlpool raised her eyebrow and looked him up and down, inspecting him.

"You sure about that? He sure doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you, but you dominate almost every night, correct?" Brock retorted. Whirlpool glared at him for a second before breaking out into a smirk. She placed her helmet onto the handlebars of her bike and pointed at Ash.

"Alrighty, Landslide. Since you like him so much, he can go first. Let's see what you can do." Brock chuckled and gave a thumbs-up to her.

"Prepare to be amazed." Whirlpool rolled her eyes and headed to the starting line, leaving Ash and his companion by her bike. "Well, you ready? It's your first ranked race, so don't screw it up. Remember; just let the driving come naturally."

Ash sighed and headed towards his car, Brock right behind him. "Ok, this is it. Time for me to show what I can do." He glanced at Pikachu on his shoulder and smiled. "Looks like we're going for a ride, buddy.

* * *

The cheers and jeers of the crown surrounded Ash and the other three racers as they pulled up to the line, engines humming quietly. He flexed his fingers and gripped the steering wheel again, smiling nervously at Pikachu, who sat in the passenger seat beside him. He could feel his heart start to pound rapidly from the adrenaline that was surging throughout his veins.

He took a deep breath and raised the windows, muffling the surrounding crowd outside. Casey, the young woman who started them off last time, approached the starting line and raised her hands. All of the engines roared to life as they prepared for the race that awaited them.

As Casey began to bring down her hands, she suddenly stopped in mid-air. The cars jerked forward then stopped viciously with a loud screech. Ash could hear the random curses from the crowd as her opened wide with disbelief. Soon, small flashes of light began to flare from behind them...everyone in the crowd knew what was going on except for Ash, but Casey was about to make it all too clear.

"**COPS!**" she screamed, as Ash's eyes widened with horror. In a flash, the whole crowd dispersed, frantically scurrying around like cockroaches, heading to cars, not even bothering to close their trunks or turn off their music as all of the engines roared to life, sounding like mystical beast awaking from its slumber.

"Holy shit!" Ash yelled frantically as he threw the car in reverse and slammed on the gas, backing up to a nearby alley that he could use as an escape. Suddenly, a loud, sickening crunch broke through the pandemonium as Ash's car lurched upwards and slammed back onto the ground, followed by a long string of random curses and obscenities.

He braked viciously, and almost collapsed at what lay in front of him. There, lying in a wrecked heap on the concrete was a now-dull blue motorcycle. Ash's heart leapt into his throat as he the realization that he had just ran over Whirlpool's prized motorcycle slammed into him like a ton of bricks.

"Oh no. You gotta be frickin' kidding me!" Ash yelled as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. The passenger door swung open, and Ash was praying to the good Lord that it wasn't who he thought it was.

Unfortunately, God decided to screw Ash over that day as a raging Whirlpool leapt into the car and began viciously cursing him. "You ran over my damn bike! Do you have any idea how much that costs?"

Ash was a pretty good sized young man, and this young woman was only about half his size, yet she was making him cringe in his car seat like a scared child. Ash shook his head sheepishly, not having any idea and not wanting to know, either.

"Twenty-six thousand, eight hundred, sixty-three dollars and nineteen cents!" she roared at him before being cut off by a car pulling in front of them.

"You are participating in illegal street racing. Please step out of the car and put your hands up immediately," the loudspeaker droned from the squad car, almost being drowned out by the wailing siren.

Ash, Whirlpool, and even Pikachu, who was shoved into the backseat, stared at the car for a moment as a spotlight shone on them inside the car. "Brock says you can drive; so drive!" Ash snapped his head towards her in disbelief.

"I can't run from the cops!" He opened his mouth to say more but Whirlpool's foot ended the conversation as it slammed onto the accelerator, sending the car screaming backwards into the ally behind them. Ash and Whirlpool were thrown forward from the sudden burst of speed, and soon Ash grabbed the steering wheel and glanced into the rearview mirror.

"Are you crazy, lady? We can't run from the police!" She stared at him angrily.

"Oh, so you'd rather be arrested?"

"Well, no but-"

"Then shut up and drive the damn car!"

The squad car that was in front of them pulled into the alley and gave chase, the sirens blaring and the light flashing off the metal walls of the warehouses. Ash looked behind him and saw that the alley was ending, but he couldn't drive backwards the entire time.

Out of the blue, an idea hit him. He remembered that while he was playing a racing game on his Playstation 2, the handbrake button would let the car do some psychotic turns. _Please let this work,_ he prayed silently as hind gripped the handbrake.

As the car screamed out of the alley, Ash slammed his foot on the brake and pulled up on the emergency brake. He spun the steering wheel to the right, causing the vehicle to rotate viciously in a 180 degree turn before throwing the handbrake back down, and accelerating down the long empty street that led out of the Cerulean Pier.

Pikachu flew out from the backseat and slammed into the dashboard, switching on the CD player, causing DJ Dan's "Accelerate" to flood the car.

The car rocketed down the straightaway, the squad car following close behind. "Fancy driving, hotshot, but the cop is still on our ass!" she criticized, as Ash tried to ignore her and concentrate on his driving. Pikachu muttered angrily and stood up to let loose a bolt of electricity before Ash turned again, throwing Pikachu back into the backseat.

Whoever the cop was, he was good. Every move that Ash tried, the cop mimicked perfectly. The cars sped through the streets of the city as Ash swerved to the left and turned onto another main street, his pursuer close behind.

Spotting a small side street, he veered to the right, his tires squealing on the pavement, and sped down the narrow alley before he braked. For the second time, Ash had turned into a dead end.

"Nice job. Out of all the streets in Cerulean City, you had to pick the one that has a DEAD END!" Whirlpool yelled at him. Ash growled loudly and turned to her.

"Hey, here's an idea. How about you shut up and let me drive!" Whirlpool opened her mouth to give a mouthy comeback, was stopped as the cop pulled into the street and stopped at the entrance.

Ash looked around the street, seeing if he could come up with any ideas. Like a bolt of lightning, one entered his head as he grabbed his seatbelt and clicked it into place. "Put your seatbelts on."

"What the hell are you-,"

"Just do it, okay?" he yelled at her, and turned to the mouse in the back seat. "Pikachu, get up here and buckle up with her." Pikachu nodded and leapt into the lap of Whirlpool as she clicked their seatbelt on also. Ash revved the engine loudly and gripped the steering wheel hard. "Hang on."

Without warning, Ash slammed onto the gas, accelerating the car to insane speeds as he headed towards the police car. The cop did the same and began rocketing down the street, both vehicles on a collision course with each other.

Ash smirked and shifted. The car groaned and leaned forward, picking up even more speed. "Let's see how good you really are," he said as shifted again to the fifth and final gear. The speedometer and tachometer maxed out, the needles bouncing against the edge of their respective gauges fiercely.

The world blurred together, until all he could see was the road and his opponent heading straight for him. "Uh, you are going to turn, right?" Misty asked. Ash didn't reply, focusing only on the dangerous game of chicken that the cop and he were playing.

Both cars waited until they were mere inches from each other before turning to opposite sides of the road. Time seemed to slow down as Ash glanced to his left, wanting to see who this cocky cop was. Ash nearly stopped driving. The man in the cop car resembled him closely. Hell, it was like looking into a mirror, save for the "z" shaped birthmarks he had on his cheeks.

The cop seemed surprised as well as the cars sped past each other, their side view mirrors colliding with each other and crashing to the concrete below. It was over in a split second as Ash sped out of the street into the metropolis, leaving the officer behind.

* * *

"You're a psycho." Whirlpool broke the relative silence that filled the car as they drove through the streets, leaving the cop behind only ten minutes earlier.

"You're welcome," he snapped as reached over and clicked his CD player off.

"What the hell should I be thanking you for?"

"Well, for one, I did just get us away from the cops." Whirlpool rolled her eyes and leaned back in the car seat.

"Listen here, little man. You think some fancy tricks and ditching the cops for a few minutes are gonna make up for you trashing my bike? You are going to pay me back in full."

"Sorry, but I don't have twenty-six thousand dollars right now." Whirlpool smirked.

"That's ok. To make sure I eventually get it, I'll be staying with you from now on." She was answered with horrendously loud screech as Ash braked on the empty street.

"Are you out of your mind? There's no way in hell you're staying with me! Look, I'm sorry about your bike, I really am, but you will not be staying with me."

She chuckled and grinned mischievously. "You know the rule about not honoring your bets, right?" Ash raised an eyebrow and nodded. "You don't want to know what they'll do to you if someone says you backed out on a bet..."

"What are you getting at?" She played with her red hair and grinned again.

"All I have to do is say that you backed out on a bet with me, and presto! Your life's a living hell from here on out. And since I am ranked second in all of Kanto, no one will even think twice about taking some newbie down."

Ash growled and gripped the steering wheel tightly. "You wouldn't."

"You care to test that theory?" Both of them stared in each other's eyes before Ash cursed and started to pull off.

"I hope you know that I hate you."

"I know," replied as she played with Pikachu, who squealed with delight. "At least your Pikachu knows a good woman when it sees one."

"No, it's because you have ketchup all over your little racing outfit." He pointed at her blue racing suit, which was now covered in red. She had sat on the ketchup bottle and all of it had squirted all over her outfit.

"Damn it," she sighed as she unzipped the front of her outfit and began to climb out of it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Whirlpool rolled her eyes. Underneath the suit she was wearing a pair of blue shorts and an orange tank top. She rolled her hair back and tied it to the side of her head, before tossing her dirty outfit in the backseat.

"Oh shut up, I have clothes on underneath. Don't get all excited." Ash groaned as they turned another corner and pulled into the parking garage of his apartment complex. However, while parking the car, he had stole a glance at her, and bumped into the car next to him, setting off the alarm.

"Good job," she taunted as they climbed out of the car, her outfit and Pikachu in her hands. Ash ignored her, walking to the elevator and clicking the call button.

"You're only staying with me until I get the money to pay you back for your bike, you understand?" She dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand and the door slid open and they entered the contraption.

"So, since we're going to be...staying together, I think we should each know each other's real name," Ash suggested as he pressed the button for his floor.

"I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum."

She smirked. "My name's Misty Waterflower." Ash's jaw dropped for the millionth time that night.

"The Cerulean Gym Leader?"

The doors silently closed, and with a light hum, to its cargo up to their destination.


	4. The Odd Couple

Velocity

Chapter 4: The Odd Couple

"How does a Gym Leader become one of Kanto's top street racers? I mean, you'd think that the Pokemon League would take a huge amount of time to take care of." Ash said as he grabbed his car keys. "Well, so sorry to see you go, but you have a Gym to run. What's the fastest way there?" Misty rolled her eyes and laid herself out on the couch.

"Actually, I'm done for this year," she replied with a smirk. "I run the Gym with my other three sisters. Since there are four of us, we each run the Gym for three months at a time. Today was the last day of my term, which is why I went out to celebrate." She narrowed her eyes at Ash menacingly. "At least, that **was** my plan until you decided to ruin it by destroying my precious motorcycle. I loved that bike too..."

Ash groaned and leaned on the counter of his breakfast bar. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, for the umpteenth freakin' time, I'm sorry!" They both had been sitting in the living room of his apartment for the past twenty minutes; Ash trying to find a way for her to leave, and Misty always countering with a legitimate reason for staying; not to mention she kept throwing the threat of reporting him as backing out on a bet in his face every chance she got. Pikachu sat on a small chair, happily slurping the ketchup that he had brought up from the car.

"This is a nice place you got here, Ashy. I won't mind staying here at all," she said, sweeping her eyes over his apartment. She was right; living off of the earnest salary of a criminal lawyer did have its perks. His apartment was pretty big, a kitchen with a small opening over the faucet that looked out into the living room. On the other side of the opening was a bar that he used quite a bit when Tracy had decided to throw him a surprised birthday party last year.

The living room was quite large, housing a big screen television accompanied by a lavish entertainment center complete with surround sound. Three huge racks of CDs sat next to the entertainment center, holding at least a minimum of 70 CDs. On the floor next to the TV was mass of wires that belonged to his various video game consoles that he played whenever he had a chance. In the back of the living room lay a huge glass window that delivered a breathtaking view of the Cerulean cityscape.

"So where am I sleeping, Ashy?" she chimed in as hopped up from the sofa and strolled over to the large window. Ash chuckled and tossed his car keys onto the bar.

"You just jumped up from it. And my name is Ash." She looked at him unbelievingly and scoffed.

"You're gonna make me sleep on the sofa? Whatever happened to being a gentleman?"

Ash yawned and headed for his room. "That went out the window after you forced me into letting you stay here. Well, good night." He turned to walk into his room before a blur whizzed past him and the door slammed shut in his face.

"What the-? Damn it, Misty! Open this door right now!" he yelled as he pounded on the bedroom door with his fist.

"Please let me sleep in here just for tonight? Besides, I need to take a shower, and I don't see any other bathroom in here." Ash growled and pounded on the door again.

"Absolutely not! I said I'd let you stay here, not take over my house!" he yelled through the door.

"Just for tonight, I won't ask you again. I promise!" she pleaded. Ash growled and cursed under his breath.

"One night, understand! After tonight, you will not be sleeping in my bedroom anymore, got it!" He heard her muffled reply through the door and turned to the couch before knocking on the door again.

Misty yanked the door open and stuck her head out, the sounds of the bathtub in his bathroom drifting out from his room. "What is it? I'm getting ready for my bath!" she asked irritably.

"I need some clothes to sleep in. And leave this door unlocked."

"What, so you can come and spy on me while I'm in the bathtub? No way!" Ash rolled his eyes.

"Nobody would want to spy on your scrawny ass, Misty. I need it unlocked so I can get dressed for work tomorrow. Unlike you, some of us have to work every day instead of three months."

He was answered by a t-shirt to the face as Misty stuck her head out again. "There. Now good night," she said before slamming the door shut in his face. He growled and quickly changed, throwing his dirty clothes onto a nearby chair as he grabbed an extra blanket out from a nearby closet and stretched out on the couch.

"Well, good night buddy," he said to Pikachu, who still sat there, slurping on his ketchup. Pikachu waved his paw, never taking his eyes off his bottle for a second.

"Pika."

"Mr. Sergio Giovanni, do you have any last statements before I hand out your sentence..."

Ash stared blankly at the wall as Tracy shook him roughly. "Yo, Ash, it's time to go. Court's out of session." Ash snapped back to reality, shaking his head in an effort to clear out the cobwebs in his mind. For some reason, he hadn't been able to concentrate ever since he walked into the courthouse that morning.

"Uhh, yeah sure, Tracy. How'd it go?" Tracy stared at him in disbelief.

"Ash, what's up with you? Of course we won. The judge just sentenced him ten minutes ago. He'll be in prison for life. All that evidence we dug up made this an open and shut case." Tracy looked at him with concern. "Ash, are you sure you're okay? For the past week or so, you've been zoning out, looking exhausted. You're not sick, are you?"

Ash shook his head. "Nah, it's just the case, that's all. It's taken a lot out of me. I didn't expect for this guy's operations to branch out as far as they did. It's amazing."

Tracy placed a hand on Ash's back as he led them out of the courtroom and into the crowded lobby. "Yeah, this guy had his hand's in everything; Pokemon poaching, smuggling, robbery. It's crazy." His face lit up as he spotted a face amongst the mass of reporters and police officers throughout the lobby. "You wanna meet the guy who brought this guy in?"

Ash shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he answered as Tracy yelled across the lobby and waved his hands wildly. Ash ran his eyes over the lobby, just glancing at the random faces in the crowd before stopping in his tracks. It was him.

Ash was staring into an almost mirror image of himself, and he had to catch himself from staring too hard. It was the cop from last night. There was no mistake about it. Quickly, Ash turned around, trying to obscure his face from him. Hopefully, the man didn't catch a real good glimpse of him.

"Ash? Hey, Ash. Turn around; I want you to meet this guy." Slowly, Ash turned around, and his heart nearly leapt into his throat. The cop was standing right in front of him, smiling brightly. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he examined Ash's face, obviously recognizing it.

"Ash, this is Officer Richard Jenkins. He's the head of the special MASTERS wing of the Cerulean Police Department. This is the cop who brought the defendant in." Ritchie smirked slyly and held his hand out.

"Tracy, you know not to use all that formal B.S. Just call me Ritchie. And you are...?" Ash forced a smile onto his face and shook his hand. Ritchie knew exactly what he was doing.

"I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum. I've heard a lot about your MASTERS squad, Ritchie. They say it's extremely elite; one of the best in Kanto." Ritchie chuckled softly.

"Well, we do what we can. Actually, we just created a new unit dedicated to stopping all of the rampant street racing that's been going on throughout the city. We just had a successful raid on the scene at the Cerulean Piers last night. Have you heard anything about it, Ash?"

Ash chuckled weakly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "No, I haven't heard a thing about it. What makes you think I would know?"

"Well, street racers come from all walks of life. You'd be surprised at who I've busted for illegal street racing," he said as he gave a sly glance at Ash. "But, I'm taking up too much of your time. You guys need to relish in your huge victory. Congratulations. I hope to see you again real soon." He glanced at Ash and Tracy before waving goodbye and walking off into the crowd.

Tracy slapped Ash on the back and laughed loudly. "Eccentric, isn't he? He used to come to the Orange Islands every summer and we'd always hang out. Hey, I just realized: you guys look alot alike. You wouldn't happen to be related, would you?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well, how's about we go celebrate our big victory, huh?"

"Sorry, Tracy. I really wish I could, but I have some real urgent things to take care of. I'll catch you later, man."

"Alright. Well, me and the others are going out for drinks at the Wyvern, so if you change your mind, come on and swing by, alright?" Ash nodded, and turned to leave before being stopped by Tracy again. "Oh, and Hayes said we can take the next couple of weeks off for pulling off this win, so we don't have to come in for a while. See ya round," he yelled behind him as he entered the crowd and disappeared.

"Yeah, see ya round..."

The drive back home was a cautious one; Ash kept looking back at every red light, half expecting the whole MASTERS squad to come screaming from the corner behind him, ready to arrest him. Finally he made it to his apartment complex and entered the elevator with a sigh of relief. As he stepped out of the contraption, he could hear music drifting down the empty hallway of the building.

As he grew closer to his apartment, the music became louder and louder. He rounded the corner and stopped in front of his apartment door, growling. The music was blaring from inside his apartment; he could only guess what she was doing in there. For all he knew, she could have invited every racer in Cerulean to his house for some wild party.

He opened the door, only to be bombarded by Lil Jon's "Get Low" blaring from his speakers. He stormed inside, intent on kicking her out right then, bet or no bet, before stopping to halt. Misty stood on his couch, dancing to the music wearing only one of his dress shirts that came down mid-thigh, her blazing red hair swirling about from her movements. Pikachu was on the floor, spinning around in an attempt to dance to the beat with Misty.

He had to stop himself from staring at her; she was completely oblivious to his presence. Ash's senses came back to him as he took a deep breath and opened his mouth wide.

"MISTY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" he yelled over the blaring rap music, startling her. She nearly fell from the couch as she whirled around and stared at him with a shocked look.

Quickly, she dashed from the couch and clicked the music off before smoothing her hair and clearing her throat. "A...Ash, what are you doing home so early? I thought you didn't get home until 5 like everyone else. It's only noon..." she asked nervously,

"Court let out early. But I've got a question. What the hell are you doing blaring my music this loud, this early! Or better yet, who gave you permission to touch my CDs in the first place!" he exclaimed as he tossed his keys and his briefcase onto the bar.

"Look, I didn't know, ok? You need to stop being so uptight all the time and just relax. You're wound up way too tight, you know?" Ash rolled his eyes and headed into his bedroom, before stopping at the door.

"Do you have any other clothes to wear?" He turned to see her shake her head. "You live at the Gym, right?" Misty nodded as she took the CD out from the entertainment center and placed it back into its case. Ash sighed and yanked off his tie. "Hang on. Let me change and I'll take you to get your stuff."

Quickly, Ash changed out of his suit and slipped on a pair of jeans with a black t-shirt. He grabbed his black jacket out from the closet and pulled it on. He looked himself over in the mirror, before smirking and grabbing his blue hat, placing it on his head backwards. He grabbed his black Adidas sneakers from his closet and walked into the living room, sitting on the couch and putting them on. Finally, he finished the ensemble with a pair of sunglasses, leaving a few bangs of hair hanging over his face.

"You have a key, right?" Misty yelled from inside the kitchen before re-emerging in the shorts and tank top she had worn the night before.

"Yeah, I have a key. You're pretty jazzed up to just go to the Gym." she said, grabbing her racing outfit and slinging it over her shoulder. Ash ignored her and grabbed his car keys, leaving the apartment with her, Pikachu following close behind.

Soon, they were pulling out from the garage and into the busy streets of Cerulean City, heading towards the Pokemon Gym. Both of them, including Pikachu, were silent during the drive.

"Look, I'm sorry for screwing with your music without your permission." she apologized, finally breaking the silence. Ash sighed and clicked his turn signals on.

"It's okay. It wasn't that big of a deal. I'm just kinda stressed over what happened to me today at the courthouse."

"What happened?"

"Remember that cop from last night?" Misty nodded as he turned the car onto another street. "I met him at the courthouse today." Misty chuckled.

"So? We were going so fast he never caught a look at you." Ash sighed and turned the car again.

"We both got a look at each other. He knew who I was when he saw me today. According to him, MASTERS is creating an anti-racing squad, and he's leading it. He's probably gonna arrest me anytime now," he said sadly.

Misty looked at him for a moment and burst out laughing. "What's so funny? You think me getting arrested is funny? Something like that could ruin my career forever!"

Misty's laughing died down as she smacked his chest. "You know, you're a crappy lawyer, you know that? The only way he can arrest you is if he catches while racing. You got a record; unpaid parking tickets, anything like that?"

Ash shook his head. "Then you're in the clear, Matlock. The only way he can arrest you is if he has undeniable proof that you were street racing, which is next to impossible to give out evidence that's incriminating. The only other way is if he catches you while street racing. Calm down, kiddo. You're in the clear."

The car fell silent as they continued the journey to the Gym. "I didn't know you listened to rap music, Ashy." Ash rolled his eyes and slowed down in front of the huge building.

"I listen to rap, rock and techno. Maybe a little hiptronica every now and then too." Misty looked at him with a confused expression as they climbed out of the car.

"Hiptronica?"

"Yeah, it's the kind of music scratch DJ's make." Misty shrugged and headed up to the Gym, Pikachu and Ash following close behind.

"Haven't been to a Gym in a long time, have we buddy?" Ash said as Misty unlocked the doors and motioned for them to come in. Pikachu nodded and scrambled up to his shoulder as they entered the massive Gym.

A huge pool dominated the center of the Gym, obviously the battle arena. The water was littered with dozens of slabs, obviously places for Pokemon to battle on. Huge rows of stands lined the pool; he had heard of the Gym's popularity because of their Gym Leaders and the shows that they performed, although he himself had never attended one.

Now, though, the entire building was empty, save for Ash and the others. "Kinda dead in here, isn't it?" he yelled across the pool to Misty who was walking up a flight of stairs.

"Well, it's one o'clock. My sisters always close down the Gym to shopping at this time," she yelled back.

"Your sisters shut down a Gym to go shopping?" He chuckled to himself. "I didn't know women loved to shop that much."

"Hilarious, Ash. Listen; just hang around the pool while I get all my stuff. I shouldn't be long." Ash nodded and took a seat in the bleachers, Pikachu settling in beside him. The wait seemed to take forever as Ash groaned and walked up to the pool, staring into the depths below.

Suddenly, there was a loud splash on Ash's left. Slowly, he took off his sunglasses and bent down, peering into the glassy surface. He stared, searching for whatever was under the water. Soon, he shrugged and rose, chalking it up to his imagination.

The water thrashed as a large body leapt from the water and crashed onto Ash as he fell to the ground with a yell. "Get him!" a voice yelled from behind, and soon he was being bombarded by bodies all around him, screaming and yelling, as Ash struggled to rise to his feet.

"No, wait, leave him alone!" Misty's voice cried out, as all of the commotion began to cease. With a grunt, Ash shoved whatever was on top of him off as he rose to his feet. A large yellow body flailed about, crying hysterically as it crashed to the floor.

"Damn it, Psyduck! Why the hell are you in the pool? Everyone else is always in their pokeball except for you! I swear, one more time, and I'll dump you back into the wild!"

"Geez, Misty, like calm down. Psyduck just thought this guy was a robber r something, that's all." Ash whirled around to find three young women, arms full of shopping bags staring at him, puzzled.

"Like, who is this guy anyway, Misty?" one of them asked as she approached him with a smile. "He's cute." Misty growled as she picked up the huge duck-like pokemon and hurled him into the water, much to the surprise of Ash. She was a lot stronger than her frame would suggest.

"Back off, Daisy!" she yelled as she picked up her bags and tossed them to the doors. Daisy raised her arms and backed away slowly.

"Sorry, Misty. I didn't know you two were like, an item or whatever." Ash and Misty stared at each other for a moment before turning back to her sisters.

"We are not an item!" they yelled at the same time at her siblings. Daisy and the others started giggling as they placed their bags on the bleachers.

"Well, sorry, like, my bad. Oh, what a cute little Pikachu!" one of the other sisters said, holding her arms out for the little rodent to jump into. Ash chuckled nervously.

"Uh, that might not be the brightest-," he said before Pikachu amazingly leapt into her arms. Ash stared with his jaw to floor, amazed at his yellow companion. "You little traitor! Why couldn't you be nice to me like that the first time we met, huh!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, don't be hard on him. Right, Pikachu?" she cooed as she scratched between his ears. Pikachu chirped happily and snuggled into her, much to Ash's chagrin.

"Pikachu, if you don't get over here, no more ketchup for a month." Pikachu's ears perked up as it scrambled out of the young woman's grip and scampered over to Ash.

"So Misty, what are like, all the bags for?" Misty slung her two bags over shoulder and walked up to Ash.

"I'm going to be staying with him for a little while, that's all." Daisy's eyes brightened up at her statement as a small smirk grew over her face.

"Oh really?"

"It's not like that, Daisy!" Daisy rolled her eyes and shooed the duo to the door.

"Sure it's not, Misty. Well, hurry up, we need to re-open the Gym in ten minutes," she said as she opened the doors and shoved them out. "Oh and Misty, do me a favor. Wrap it up, will ya?"

Misty stared at her sister, puzzled. "What do you mean, wrap it up?" Slowly the meaning of the comment dawned on her. "It's not like that you little bit-," her comment was cut off as Daisy slammed the door in her face, leaving an incredibly confused Ash and an extremely pissed-off Misty.

"Your sisters are really weird, Misty," Ash commented. Misty growled as she stomped angrily to the car, Ash and Pikachu wisely keeping a safe distance from her. Ash opened the trunk and Misty slammed her bags into the car angrily as her cell phone went off.

Quickly, she snatched the phone out of the pocket of her shorts. "What!" she exclaimed angrily. Soon, Misty calmed down and nodded as she conversed on the phone before hanging up.

"Come on, Ash. Brock wants to meet us at the Cerulean Cafe," she said as she climbed into the car. Ash and Pikachu stood there, amazed at how quickly she had calmed down. Soon, he chuckled and glanced at Pikachu.

"I'll never understand women, Pikachu."

Pikachu nodded as they both climbed into the car and took towards the cafe. The drive was short, and they soon arrived, spotting their friend sitting outside. As they approached him, Brock looked at them with a surprised look on his face.

"I was only expecting Misty; what are you doing here, Ash?" Brock paused as he looked them both and grinned. "You two aren't uh..." Misty glared at him and cracked her knuckles.

"Brock, I only have three words for you; Lost to Ivy." Brock's expression immediately changed, as he cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down.

"Well, let's get down to business. Snap and the other guys say they've found a new place for us to meet. They haven't finalized it yet cause they're sending word to all the racers. We'll know where within a few hours." Brock's eyes drifted over to Ash's bright yellow Silph Dodrio and chuckled. "Ash, are you still driving that stock nightmare?"

"What's wrong with my car?" Ash said defensively. Brock chuckled again.

"You still got your winnings from the other night?" Ash nodded as Brock grinned.

"Good. We're going to the Lab."


	5. Mad Scientist

Velocity

Chapter 5: Mad Scientist

"Just where the hell are we going again, Misty?" Misty sighed as she shifted, staying behind the dark brown car in them. "I asked you a question."

"For the last time, we're going to the Lab. It's a ways out, and we're not even at the halfway point yet. Just shut up and enjoy the ride." Ash rolled his eyes at her remark and looked back into the backseat. Pikachu was curled up in a ball in the seat, sleeping quietly.

"You know, being so irritable is very unbecoming of a lady. I'm still amazed at myself for even letting you touch my steering wheel. For all I know, you could knock me out and leave me out here on the highway."

"Yeah well, if I wanted to steal your car, I would have done it a long time ago. And letting me drive your car is the least you can do after wrecking my bike. I still want my damn money, Ketchum." Ash grumbled and turned his head towards the dimming sky through the window. "Yeah, I knew that would shut you up."

* * *

"Ash, wake up." Ash mumbled and turned over, trying to make the best out his small car seat. "Dammit Ash, wake your lazy ass up!" Misty screamed into his ear. Ash yelled as he jumped up in his seat and tossed a glare at Misty.

"What the hell is your problem!" Misty sighed and climbed out of the car, slamming the door shut. Ash could hear Pikachu yawning and stretching behind him as he began to climb out of his own seat and looked at the huge city around them. Skyscrapers littered the sky; thousands of electronic lights illuminated the night around them.

Pikachu slowly crawled out of the car again and yawned, smacking its mouth loudly. "Where are we?" Brock appeared out of his own vehicle and smiled at him.

"We're in Goldenrod."

"Goldenrod! How did we get all the way here! That's almost a twelve hour drive!" Brock chuckled and leaned against his car.

"Not if you drive to Viridian and take the ferry. It cuts down the time to three hours. But don't worry about that; we're here." Ash stared at Brock as if he were crazy.

"And just where exactly is **here**?" he questioned. Brock pointed behind him at a large building, lights flashed brightly inside as if someone had placed a pulse light on the interior of the building.

"It's the Lab. Come on, I want you to meet somebody," he said as he turned and walked inside leaving Ash outside with Pikachu. Ash glanced at Pikachu and shrugged before following Brock and opening the door. Almost instantly, a barrage of impulses overrode his senses.

The thick smell of grease and gasoline hung in the air like a veil as he walked inside. Ash was surprised; inside of the building was a huge garage. Car parts and tools littered the floor; at least three or four cars were elevated high off of the ground on lifts. A small purple Aipom skittered past him and Pikachu, carrying parts in its arms and a large wrench in its tail, which was shaped like a large hand. The entire shop was filled various pokemon doing work on the vehicles. The song "Dare" by the Gorillaz drifted throughout the garage, despite almost being drowned out by a loud hissing sound.

Brock and Misty stood by a large counter, its surface cluttered with papers and other various objects. "This is the Lab? Funny, I was expecting something...that actually has something to do with a laboratory," Ash commented as he swept his eyes over the place.

Brock chuckled and leaned over the table towards a figure that was crouched under a car, sparks flying from the frame as his blowtorch collided with it. "Hey Max, you do know you have company, right!" he yelled at him.

The blowtorch promptly went out as he walked over to them and pulled the huge visor up from his face. Max's face was lean and dirty, proportionate to his small frame. "Hey Brock, what's up?" His face suddenly fell as he adjusted the glasses over his eyes, barely able to hang on from the sweat and grease that covered his face. "Please don't tell me your clutch broke again, dude. I just fixed it two weeks ago. I told to go easy on all the drifting; this isn't friggin' Tokyo."

Max's eyes suddenly lit up at the sight of Misty as he grinned and leaned against the counter. "Well, hello beautiful. What brings you around these parts?" Misty rolled her eyes and pointed at Ash. Max raised an eyebrow at Ash and tossed his thumb at him.

"Who's this guy?" Brock smiled and pushed Ash closer to the counter.

"This is Ash and he's bound to be the new sensation in Kanto. Kid's got some real skills; I've seen 'em first hand." Misty scoffed and rolled her eyes. Brock ignored her and went on. "Unfortunately, his car can't really match up to his skill, so we're here to see what you can do."

Max looked at Brock for a moment before taking off his visor and setting it on the counter. "Ok, what kinda cash flow and time frame am I looking at here?"

"About twelve grand and five hours; give or take thirty minutes." Max rubbed his chin as if he were deep in thought, and then finally grinned.

"Alrighty, I'll see what I can whip up. What's the model and year?" he asked Ash. Ash looked back at him with a confused look on his face.

"Huh?" Max let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his short black hair.

"The car, dude! What year and model is it!"

"Oh, well it's a 2005 Silph Dodrio."

"Silph, huh? Well alright, roll it on in here." Brock grinned as he began to walk outside.

"Hey Max, is May around?" Max gave him a dirty look and pulled the visor back over his head.

"No, thank god. She's out. You keep asking me and I'm gonna have a restraining order put out on you."

* * *

"So what made you start racing, dude?" Max's voice snapped Ash out of his thoughts. Ash cleared a spot on the counter and hopped up on it; Brock and Misty had left him there, claiming he could "learn" something.

"Well, it was kind of an accident, really. I had revved up my engine and he thought I had challenged him. Somehow I ended up racing him, and he invited me down to the piers. I'm still kinda new to this racing thing."

Max looked up from the hood and chuckled. "Yeah, everyone's always overwhelmed their first time." The sound of a ratchet clicking echoed, lost in the commotion of the other pokemon doing their duties on the other vehicles. "Hey Charmander, you done welding that roll cage together?" A small red lizard appeared from behind a car and nodded.

"Good. You and Machop get over here and rip out this old exhaust. I don't wanna take all day installing the new one." Ash was surprised at the efficiency at which the pokemon did their jobs. He scratched Pikachu's ears and smiled.

"How'd you get all of these pokemon to work in here anyway, Max?" Max chuckled and walked over to a nearby computer, tapping a few keys and connecting a long cord to it.

"Well," he said as he dragged the cord to Ash's car and connected to something beneath the hood, "a lot of these pokemon were abandoned by their owners; they thought they were too weak or something. So I made an arrangement with the local Pokemon Center that if any strays or abandoned pokemon were left there, I would give them a home here."

He tossed his thumb at a small Squirtle; that oddly enough, was wearing a large pair of black sunglasses. "That Squirtle over there came here with a huge crowd of other Squirtles. He's got a lot of attitude, but he does a good job of keeping the shop clean. Hey Porygon!" he yelled at the computer he had just connected the cord to.

To Ash's surprise, the computer clicked on and an image of whitish creature adorned the screen. "I need you to start upgrading this onboard computer; I can't replace all these parts and not have the computer not recognize them." The computer answered in a series of beeps, causing Max to roll his eyes.

"Hey, Max, lemme ask you a question," Ash said as he fiddled with some of the things on the table. Max turned his head back to the hood and began working again.

"Shoot."

"Who's Ivy?" Without warning, Max burst out laughing and almost hit his head on the hood above him. After a few moments, Max composed himself and glanced back at Ash.

"It's kind of a long story. Sure you wanna hear it?" Ash shrugged.

"Ain't like I got anyplace to go." Max chuckled and lied down on a roller and wheeled himself under the car.

"Well, a couple of years ago, we were all out at the Piers racing; just screwing around and having a good time. Then out of nowhere, this purple Shinobu Sidewinder comes around and out steps this **nice** piece of ass. I mean she had it all; nice body, pretty face, and these gigantic ti-," he explained before Ash cut him off.

"Uh, can you get back to the story please?"

"My bad. You haven't known Brock long enough yet, but you'll soon learn that he hits on almost anything that walks, which is a prime reason why I wouldn't let him touch my sister with a ten foot pole. Anyways, he tries his usual sorry lines on her, and to my surprise, it actually seemed like she was actually falling for 'em. I couldn't friggin' believe it.

Then out of nowhere, she comes up with this bet. They'll race; nothing fancy, just a quarter drag. If he wins, she'll go home with him. If she wins, she gets to go him with his ride. Now, if she wasn't so hot, he probably wouldn't have even considered something crazy like that. But you have to understand; no one and I mean **no one** would pass any chance to spend the night with her, no matter how slim and far-off it was. Hell, I would've sold my shop just for a night with her."

Ash shook his head and chuckled. "So what did he do?"

"He raced her, of course. Poor guy never stood a friggin' chance. She dusted his ass by at least two to three seconds and she drove home with his car. Ol' Brickhead had to walk home to his house which was thirty miles away at three o'clock in the morning. It was probably the most humiliating thing I had ever seen in my entire life, but like I said; if I had his chance to spend the night with a woman like that, I probably would have done the same thing," Max finished from under the car.

Ash started laughing out loud himself from hearing that story; he honestly could see Brock acting like that. _No wonder he had shut up after Misty mentioned her,_ he thought to himself. "So wait a second, if he hits on every girl he sees, how come he hasn't hit on Misty yet?"

"Oh, he has; but Misty put an end to that crap real quick." Max rolled out from under the car for a moment and shook his head. "And don't you think of trying to pull any moves on her either, dude."

"What, you trying to protect her or something?" Max shook his head again.

"Nope, I'm protecting you. Misty isn't exactly what you'd call 'girlfriend' material. She's broken a lot of hearts since she's started racing. Almost as bad as Venom in that area," he remarked before rolling back under the car. "She's a beautiful girl, no doubt; but she'll take your heart, throw it into a blender and hit liquefy. Then she'll smile at you while she drinks that crap. Besides, she's too wild and only one guy's been able to tame her."

"Oh? And who's that?"

"This guy named Livewire. You remind me of him a lot. That's probably why Misty treats you like that; you remind her of him too. Those two were in love pretty deep, and then boom. It's all over like that," he said as he snapped his fingers to drive home his point. "There we go." He rolled out from under the car and wiped his grease covered hands on a towel and tossed Ash the keys.

"You're done?" Max nodded and tossed the towel on the counter and hopped up next to Ash.

"Pretty much, I'm done with all of the guts of the car anyway. Machoke should be here any sec to go take it to get all the cosmetics done to it." Almost on cue, a huge gray pokemon came from the back of the shop and walked over to the car, gripping the underside of it.

"Hey, be gentle with that, got it?" He turned to Ash and Pikachu and grinned. "Give him a special one, something that's got something to do with thunder or something. And get rid of the yellow. It's just...blegh," he commented as the pokemon lifted the vehicle with almost no effort and carried it to the back of the shop.

"I liked that yellow." Max chuckled.

"You know dude, I like you a lot. You're probably the first person I've been able to carry a decent conversation with in a long time. You're cool, so I wanna give you something that I've been working on for a while." Ash raised his eyebrow, puzzled.

"What kind of something?"

"It's an upgrade to your ride; I've been working on it for a while. You just gotta do one thing for me." Ash scoffed; he knew there was some kind of catch. "I want you to take my sister out on a date."

"Excuse me?" Max raised his hands in defense and shook his head.

"I'm not expecting you to do anything fancy, just a dinner and a movie or something. All she seems to do is come here and bother me all day, and I have work to do. You got a cell phone, right?"

Ash nodded and pulled his small flip phone out from his pocket. Max quickly jotted down the number on a scrap of paper and sat behind them on the counter. "She'll probably be here tomorrow, so expect a call around that time, ok?" Ash nodded and stuck the phone back into his pocket before clearing his throat.

"So, do you race, Max?" Max scoffed and looked up towards the ceiling.

"I did, but I wasn't too good. That was before I realized my theory was right."

"What theory?"

"Well, it's like this. You see; a car and its driver have a sort of symbiotic relationship. You can have the greatest car in the world, but if you have a shitty driver, that car's not gonna win. It's the same way around too; you have a world-class racer, but if he's racing with a piece of junk, he's not gonna cross the line first unless Jesus himself came down and blew all of the other cars up. But, if you happen to find that rare occasion where a car and its driver are in perfect harmony, that's a beautiful thing. I've only seen it once, and I've never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life."

"Who was that?" Ash inquired. Max chuckled.

"It was about four or five years ago...and it was the only time I ever got to see Hyperspace race." Ash snickered and started to laugh.

"Hyperspace? God, that's a horrible name." Max rolled his eyes and continued.

"Laugh all you want, but this guy had to be the best racer in history. And not just street racing; I mean if this guy and his car were to enter NASCAR or the F1 circuit, they would totally dominate. Hands down, bar none, period, end of story. I've **never** seen anyone race like he and his car did. It was like poetry." Max glanced at his watch. "Well, they should be done by now."

Ash looked at him with a confused look. "Already? But he just took the car back there like twenty minutes ago." Max grinned and motioned for him to follow him to the back of the shop.

"What can I say, Ash? We work pretty damn fast." Ash quickly jumped down off of the counter and followed him, Pikachu riding on his shoulder. Ash turned the corner to where his car was supposed to be and stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't even recognize his car anymore.

It was no longer a bright yellow, but a deep, dark blue metallic paint that glinted and sparkled in the light of the paint room. They had added a wicked looking body kit, complete with front bumper, side skirts, and rear bumper work. Worked into the blue paint were airbrushed pictures of lightning bolts and storm clouds all over the body. He glanced down and noticed that they even airbrushed his glittering blue wheels.

As he moved on down the car, he glanced inside and his eyes opened wide at the navy blue and black interior; they had completely reworked his seats, his stereo; hell, they even changed his pedals and shift stick for him. Underneath the side skirts was an ethereal blue glow emanating from under his car; Ash could hardly keep from smiling. They had added a large spoiler on the back of his car and even added blue lights into his shining chrome exhaust.

"I know the lights are a little much, but I think it ties the car up together nicely. Anyways, I switched out your clutch and the flywheels. Took out your old brakes and replaced them with some stronger racing versions. Upgraded your exhaust, gave you some better fuel injectors, and threw in a short shifter kit. I would have added a turbocharger and such to the engine, but I didn't have enough time to. Gave you a new ECU chip and replaced the wheels with some lighter aluminum versions. Did a whole weight reduction setup and gave you some better tires so you hear that beautiful squeal when you go flying around a corner. Spark plugs are replaced, changed out your battery and I even threw in some scissor doors just for the hell of it. It's not much, but I did what I could in the time I had. So what do you think?"

Ash was speechless as he ran his hand over the car and marveled at the sheer amount of work and craftsmanship. "I...I love it, Max. This is so awesome; I can just feel the speed pouring outta this thing."

"Well, don't expect too much out of it. I wasn't able to make a dramatic jump in horsepower in such a small time window; it's mostly just tweaks and little improvements here and there to the existing tech. Next time you come by, I'll do some serious work on the engine and transmission. That's when this thing'll turn into a beast and you can smoke anyone who steps up."

The sound of the front door opening and the voices of Brock and Misty drifted back into the room where Ash and the car were standing. "We're back here," he called out as Ash pulled on the car door and to his surprise, instead of the door opening outwards, they slid upwards. "Holy shit, these are Lamborghini doors!" Ash exclaimed as he jumped into the car and pulled the door down.

Brock whistled loudly as he walked into the room and caught sight of the car. "Damn Max, I knew you were good...but Jesus. This is amazing. How the hell did you do it so fast?" Max grinned as Misty came in and also stopped in surprise of the vehicle.

"Well, Scizor and lot of my other fast pokemon switched out a lot of parts. Smeargle can paint almost anything in a time span of ten minutes. Of course, it's not like I did anything dramatic to the car...yet."

Suddenly, a shrill ringing interrupted Max as Brock pulled out his cell phone and nodded for a moment. Clicking the phone off and placing it back in his pocket, he grinned at Ash.

"Well, Max it was cool being down here, but we gotta head back to Cerulean. Ash has got some racing to do." Pikachu chirped loudly and jumped through the open window into the car, ready to go.

"Thanks again, Max. I'll come pay you soon."

"You better. Knock 'em dead, Ash. Remember what I told you." Ash nodded as Misty climbed into the car and pulled on her seatbelt. "See ya round, beautiful." Misty rolled her eyes as Ash turned the ignition and brought the car to life, the engine giving off a loud whine.

Soon, they were back on the road, and Ash laughed loudly as he gunned the accelerator and sped down the highway, Brock following close behind.


End file.
